Roman General becoming slave, then gladiator, then emperor.

So maybe it's because I've been watching too much gladiator lately, but this has been bugging me. I am fully expecting that the answer to my question will probably be a resounding no, but I hope it's a (even small) possibility.

Could a general like Maximus (except obviously a real general) become a slave, and then be made a gladiator, and eventually fight in Rome? And if the emperor happens to be one that enjoys gladiator fights, could he fight and kill him in the arena?
 
Probably not, unless be has an army to help back him up. But it would mostly depend on when about this is, it would be much more likely to happen during the crisis of the 3rd century than during the early empire.
 
Probably not, unless be has an army to help back him up. But it would mostly depend on when about this is, it would be much more likely to happen during the crisis of the 3rd century than during the early empire.

The crisis of the third century would be a good time.
 
Emperors who liked fighting as gladiators had their opponents' swords dulled. No chance of a death.
 
Killing the sitting emperor in arena combat does mean that you get to be emperor. Romans =/= Klingons.

Men sometimes signed up for periods of indenture to become gladiators. The chances of survival were much greater than people nowadays commonly recognize. I suppose a freeborn man might be able to parlay his celebrity status into a go at being emperor, but it would have to be during a particularly chaotic period. I don't find it likely that a general would be sold into slavery. There are better ways of dealing with political liabilities.
 
Considering the unstability of Roman emperor succession periods, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

Only if it was one part of a pre-planned coup d'etat. Otherwise the killer will almost certainly be dispatched immediately after killing the Augustus. It'd be a pretty awesome culmination of a coup, though.
 
Killing the sitting emperor in arena combat does mean that you get to be emperor. Romans =/= Klingons.
Yes, but if you are a former popular general who just killed an unpopular emperor with the senate...
I don't find it likely that a general would be sold into slavery. There are better ways of dealing with political liabilities.

Emperor's have done stupider stuff before. And anyway if you go the way of gladiator (I know its not the most realistic of movies, far from it) they wouldn't know he was that same general when he was sold into slavery.

Only if it was one part of a pre-planned coup d'etat. Otherwise the killer will almost certainly be dispatched immediately after killing the Augustus. It'd be a pretty awesome culmination of a coup, though.

Which IIRC in Gladiator, it was.
 
Which IIRC in Gladiator, it was.

In Gladiator, *Commodus thwarts the planned coup and intends to dispatch his captured rival in the arena. This plan somehow fails. This is all fine, as mad Augusti go, but the implausible bit is afterwards when *Commodus's lackeys don't immediately try to salvage the situation and kill the Senator dude and Lucius the kid.

The problem with the scenario in general is that the Emperor who fights in the arena is likely being couped because he does asinine stuff like fight in the arena (think of a President who inserts himself into the Superbowl [or FIFA if you're unAmerican]). Replacing him with a professional gladiator would be against the whole point.

So, technically possible but deeply, deeply unlikely.
 
An idea: in the Third Century, it might be plausible that a deposed Augustus be executed by his replacement in the arena. Especially if the new guy was provincial and had no sense of the dignity of the office. Sort of a reverse of the Gladiator scenario.
 
Replacing him with a professional gladiator would be against the whole point.

But if this person is anything like Maximus, he only fights because he has to, not because he wants to.

And I believe the Praetorian Guard didn't kill him right then and there was because Quintus was an old friend of Maximus, and Maximus had told him in the beginning of the movie that Commodus had killed AUrelius, but he hadn't believed him then.
 
But if this person is anything like Maximus, he only fights because he has to, not because he wants to.

And I believe the Praetorian Guard didn't kill him right then and there was because Quintus was an old friend of Maximus, and Maximus had told him in the beginning of the movie that Commodus had killed AUrelius, but he hadn't believed him then.

In the movie of course everything is set up just so, that's what plot is. Gladiator is a great movie for all that (except for the complete misunderstanding of Graeco-Roman afterlife beliefs, THE ELYSIAN FIELDS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY).

But you're asking about real life, and that's my opinion. Technically possible, but deeply unlikely for lots of reasons.
 
In the movie of course everything is set up just so, that's what plot is. Gladiator is a great movie for all that (except for the complete misunderstanding of Graeco-Roman afterlife beliefs, THE ELYSIAN FIELDS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY).

But you're asking about real life, and that's my opinion. Technically possible, but deeply unlikely for lots of reasons.

So it is possible, even if very unlikely? That's all I need to hear. :cool:
 
In the movie of course everything is set up just so, that's what plot is. Gladiator is a great movie for all that (except for the complete misunderstanding of Graeco-Roman afterlife beliefs, THE ELYSIAN FIELDS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY).

But you're asking about real life, and that's my opinion. Technically possible, but deeply unlikely for lots of reasons.

Wasn't that his farm he was visiting in the afterlife? Maybe I've watched the movie wrong like 300 times.
 
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